5 Hour Friends 3.0 stars

After a pithy, 60-second opening treatise on the virtues of living in San Diego, this locally produced, low-budget romantic drama settles in for ten minutes of expository narration, courtesy of star Tom Sizemore directly addressing the audience. Ride it out, and you'll be rewarded with a highly watchable, character-driven throwback about an appreciable pig (Sizemore) obsessed with women and golf, and the neurotic dame (Kimberlin Brown) who wants to mean more to him than just another fuck. Occasional patches of adventitious locker room humor hamper the otherwise genuine dialog and sincere performances. Even the third act reconciliation with an estranged son is handled with surprising aplomb. Writer Ron Jackson and director Theo Davies (both first-timers) put together a feel-good picture for adults that avoids soap opera trappings, and damn if it isn’t great to see Tom Sizemore getting back to doing some real acting again. With strong, complex performances by Brown and Musetta Vander — and glistening supporting work by America’s Finest City. 2014.